Meet the Chef
Kathy McDaniel, the ultimate culinary queen and founder of Lemon Blossoms.
Originally hailing from Peru, Kathy is a woman on a mission to help you become the chef you’ve always dreamed of being. With her extensive training and expertise in the culinary arts, Kathy’s passion for cooking is contagious and is sure to leave you feeling inspired to whip up something delicious in your own kitchen.
Aside from her degree in Culinary Arts, Kathy’s extensive culinary resume includes working alongside the likes of celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, and Jet Tila. She’s been an Executive Chef, and has cooked for various high-profile clients around Los Angeles, California, and ran a thriving gourmet food and catering business in Southern California.
As Seen On
Kathy, Celebrity Chef
Kathy & Chef Wolfgang Puck
Kathy & Chef Jet Tila
On Set with Food Network Crew
Kathy & Chef Robert Bleifer
But these days…
I help chefs like you grow & learn!
It’s not all about the glitz and glamour of the culinary world for Kathy – her passion lies in sharing her knowledge and expertise with aspiring chefs and home cooks alike. She does this through Lemon Blossoms, the platform for providing tested recipes and tutorials, along with food facts that will elevate your cooking game.
Fun facts about me
Fun Fact: My youngest son has been vegetarian since birth. As a baby he’d spit out any meat I gave him so I stopped.
Everyday Meals: Everyday, I cook one meal 2 ways. One for the carnivores in the family and one for the vegetarians/vegans in the family!
My Pantry: Perhaps having 50 types of salt is a bit much?
My Fridge: I keep 3 types of plant-based milk, eggs, lemons and Parmesan cheese at all times!
Favorite Ingredient: Lemon, salt and chicken bouillon (thank you grandma!)
Phrase I use most often: Ay Dios mio, no! and Life is too short for that!
Something We Don’t Know: My oldest son’s best friend since preschool is vegan. She practically lives with us
What Makes you Weird: I have a travel pillow I always take on trips. My friends call it my “emotional support pillow”!! I have lost it a few times but it always comes back to me somehow!
Want to try something new?
Tell me how much time you have, and we’ll pick out the perfect recipe.
Super Quick
Recipes so fast they’re last-minute winners!
Under 30
Quick dishes to get dinner on the table.
Over 30
Longer recipes worth every extra flavor.
Weekend Project
Fun projects for the home chef that loves to cook.
Top-Rated
Chef Kathy’s most-trusted recipe creations.
-
Juicy Oven Baked Pork Chops (Easy Recipe)
Get the Recipe: Juicy Oven Baked Pork Chops (Easy Recipe)This Baked Pork Chops recipe is the best, quick and easy dinner recipe to make when…
Are you a brand interested in working with Kathy?
Kathy enjoys working with brands that pique her users interests and meet her strict quality guidelines.
The Lemon Blossoms media kit is available upon request, but notable features include:
- Highly engaged social audience
- Email list with open rates that beat all industry averages
Get in touch!
Here you will find:
Life is about balance and moderation so here you will find easy to make recipes, family friendly meals, one pan/one pot meals and healthier recipes as well as decadent and scrumptious dishes and some recipes with more involved preparations. Use our multiple navigation points throughout the site to filter by meat, cuisine, method, and ingredient!
Readers Love Our…
Shop
Recommendations
To help you, we recommend our favorite products in each post, periodically in emails, and curated here on the site!
Exclusive
Recipes
When you sign up as a Member through our Grow service, you’ll get access to private recipes before anyone else!
Why Lemon Blossoms?
What truly sets Kathy apart is her unwavering love for food and her family. As a mother of two boys, she has instilled her passion for all things culinary in them – with one son being a vegetarian since birth, and the other sharing her adventurous palate.
So what are you waiting for? Get ready to elevate your cooking game and join Kathy on a delicious culinary journey that’s sure to leave you feeling inspired and satisfied!
FAQ
Why The Name Lemon Blossoms?
In our home in Southern California we had a small and somewhat short lemon tree that produced incredible amounts of lemons. I could see the tree from the kitchen windows and no matter how many lemons I picked, the tree was always full and always looked as if it was about to collapse from the heaviness of the fruit. Some days I got annoyed by its fruitfulness (I love lemons but seriously how many lemons can a girl use in a day!). The annoyance would go away as soon as I got close to the tree and smelled it’s blossoms. I would hunch under the branches and stand still. It was the best fragrance in the world! Clean, soothing and totally magical. I miss that tree dearly, luckily if I close my eyes, I can still smell the aroma of the lemon blossoms.
Can I substitute an ingredient in a recipe for a different one?
Possibly! However, the recipes published on this site are tested as written. Changes made by the reader are their own creation! I encourage you to experiment but I suggest that you first try the recipe as written.
Can I make a particular slow cooker recipe in an Instant Pot (or vice versa)?
Most likely you can however, I cannot give you exact times or convert the recipe for you without testing it first.
I made a particular beef/chicken instant pot recipe and the meat was under/over cooked. What went wrong?
I always like to remind readers that when it comes to proteins, many factors besides weight can affect the recipe outcome. For example, the amount of fat (marbling) or fat cap in certain cuts of beef will affect the outcome of the recipe. The same is true for organic vs non organic, grass fed versus grain fed and free range or caged. It is impossible for me to inspect every single cut of meat and the difference between ounces of fat. However, I can guarantee that I test all the recipes posted on this site multiple times before publishing them.
Can I write a guest post for you?
At this time, Lemon Blossoms is not accepting contributor writers.
What type of salt do you use?
My kitchen is stocked with 3 different types of salt at all times. These are my “basic salts” Kosher salt, sea salt and a finishing salt such as Maldon sea salt flakes.
Would you add a link to my site into one of your posts?
We only link to recipes from sources we know and/or feel confident we can recommend to our readers. Also, we will not add links for a fee.
Can I post your recipe on my blog/FB page/site?
All recipes and photos on this site are protected by copyright. Photos can be shared with a link back to the original post. Entire recipes should not be copy/paste into your site, blog or page.
Can I use one of your recipes for a roundup?
We would love if you do! Feel free to use one of our photos, the recipe title, a little description (if you want) and a link to the recipe. Please do not publish the entire recipe (ingredients/directions).
Tell us something (odd, unexpected or embarrassing) that we don’t know about you
I’ve been told that for being a chef I eat my steak overcooked. Is med to med-rareish overcooked? (the answer is yes!)
I can instantly connect to random people as if I’ve known them for years.
I love gourmet foods as much as junk food. Dry cereal out of the box, Top ramen, Cheetos? Yes!
I’m dyslexic. Growing up without knowing it was tough.